Apparatus for making plate glass



April 25, 1933. w. OWEN 1,905,743

APPARATUS FOR MAKING PLATE GLASS Filed July 25, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR April 25, 1933. w. OWEN APPARATUS FOR MAKING PLATE GLASS Filed July 25, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR April 25, 1933. w. OWEN APPARATUS FOR MAKING PLATE GLASS Filed July 25, 1929 -5 Sheets-Sheet 3 m m. M m

INVENTOR April 25, 1933. w. OWEN APPARATUS FOR MAKING PLATE- GLASS Filed July 25, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 5 m firm W April 25, 1933. w. OWEN 1,905,743

APPARATUS FOR MAKING PLAT-E GLASS Filed July 25, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 v INVVENTOR @5 bars (preferably the bars) in the receiving tivel Y hi h tern erature' so as to soften the V. .3 c: P

Patented Apr. 25, 1933 UNITED STATES PATgET OFFICE WILLIAM OWEN, F II'I'lSBURGrI-I, PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNOR TO PITTSBU RGI-I PLATE GLASS CGMPANY, A COREORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA AYIPARATUSFOR MAKING PLATE GLASS Q Y Application filed. 1311125,

, The invention relates to apparatus for making plate glass by an intermittent rolling or casting operation. It hasfor its object the provision of improved means for 5 transferring the sheet formed from the receiving table into a roller leer, in whichlat' ter the sheetis flattened and annealed. One of the important features of construction consistsin the receiving leer section, which is in alinement with a main roller leer section. This receiving section comprises a set of bars interspersed with a set of rollers driven at the same speed as the rollers in the main leersection. Either the rollers or the leer section are mounted for vertical movement, so that after the seat is stowed'on the bars, it may be transferred to the rollers which carry it along into themain leer sec-- tion. The sheet is rolled orcast onto a movable table which is brought alongside the receiving leer section to' permit the 'stowing of the sheet laterally into the leer section. The receiving end of the leer is run at a relasheet so as to permit its flattening" .as it progresses over the rollersv into the stretches of the leer which are of pro ressively lower and lower temperatures. Certain embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the i accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a section through the apparatus on the line I-I of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a section on the line II.II of Fig; 11 Fig. 3 3 is. a section on the line II lIIIlof Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV--IV of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a partial sectionl'on an enlarged scale, also taken on. the lineIIL- g v v I I y from" the casting apparatus preferably has a III'of Fig. 1. 6 is an enlargeddetail section through a portion of the leerf re-,

ceiving section. And Fig. 7 is a view similar to that ,of Fig. l'through a modification. Referring to the drawings, A is a receiving table mounted for movement hene ath 4 the rolling apparatus B to the dotted line position A C is an oven into whichthe sheet is transferred after the table is moved to its forward position A; D is stowing apparatus for moving the sheet from the table into the oven 0 and later m v ng t into. the

trio motor for operating the rollers of the positionover' the rolling apparatus, as in- A of' Fig. 1, thus bringing the sheet of glass It is next moved by'the stowing device from 1929. seriarno'. sso'eiqf receiving section of thegleer; is the receiving section oftlie leer into which the sheet is transferred from the oven C; F is the main leer section; G is an electric motor which operates the rolls of the rolling ap-- paratus B and also moves the table Afhack and forth; H is an electricmotor for operating the 'stowing device D; I is anelecleer sections E and F; and J (Fig. 2): is a crane by means of which the pot K of molten glassis brought to casting position over the rolling apparatusB, as indicated in Fig. 2. In'operation',apot of glass is brought to di'cated in Fig; 2,.an'd pouredhetween the twoforming rolls, at whi'chhtinie the table A is moved to the right from'the full line position of Fig. 2 to theidotted line position 1 e 1 carried bythe table alongside theoven .C.

The sheet is shoved from the table through a-slot' in the side-of the oven where it is allowed to remain until it cools and stiffiens.

the oven into the receiving section E of the i leer which contains/a set of bars inter- "sperse d with a set of rollers, the latter being driven by the same means which drive the rolls in the main section F oftheleer." The;

sheet is received by the set of, barswhich ilie ata level abovethat of the tops ofthe rolls. 'The sheet rests; nomentarily only upon the bars which: are then lowered, depositing the sheet upon the rotating rollers which carry it forward into the main leer sectionthus completingithe cycle.

The table-A which receives the glass sheet cast ironloed suitably cooled," and ismount-fi ed on thetrack 1. The table has on its lower side a rack 2 engaged by a gear 3 mountgearing in; the casing lithe shaft 8 driven from the worm reduction gearing, the pinion Sand the gear 10. g,

lhe rolling. apparatus comprises a painlQ themain section F of theleer.

of water cooled rolls 11 and a hopper 12 for confining the body of glass poured from the pot K. The glass sheet is delivered from the rolls onto the surface of the table A, as indicated in Fig. 2. The rolls are driven by means of a pair of tumbler shafts 12, 12, one of which is connected at its end to a shaft 13 (Fig. 4), which shaft is driven from the pinion 9 by means of the gear 14 whichis keyed to the shaft'l3. The gear 14 drives the pinion gear 15 mounted on another shaft in parallel with the shaft 13 and connected to the other tumbler'shaft 12.

The stowing device D comprises a head 16 for engaging the side edge of the sheet 17 and three bars 18, 18, 1 8 guided in the stands 19, 19, etc. These bars are provided with racks upon their upper faces engaged by pinions 20, 20, 20 mounted on the shaft 21, the shaft 21 being driven from the motorH through suitable reduction gearing in the casing 22. The rolls 23 in the leer receiving section E and the, rolls 24 in the main' leer section Fare all driven from the line shaft 25-extcnding the length of the leer. This line shaft is driven from the motor I through the gears 26, 27. The leer rolls are divided into sets, each set being driven by a sprocket chain 28 passing around sprockets on the ends of the rolls, and these chains are driven from the cross shafts 29, 29, etc. provided with sprockets engaging the chains. The

cross shafts are in turn driven from the shaft 25 by gearing, including the gears 30, and worm gearing; 1n the casing 31, thls ChZLlILClIlVB for the rollermeansbeing well known in the art and requiring no more specificdescription. i V Interspersed with the rollers23 of, the leer rece ving section are the drop bars 32, 32,

.e,tc such bars being vertically movable and .being adapted to receive thesheet 17 when .113 is moved from the oven into the leer receiving section E The topsof these bars, therefore, he.when in receiving position at the level of the floor of the oven and above the tops of the rollers 23. After the sheet has been. received upon these bars they are lowered to. the position indicated in full l nes in Fig. 6,'at'which time their upper edges lie below the tops of the rolls 23, thus transferring the sheet from the bars to the rolls which then carry the sheet forward into Fig. 6 also shows the drop bars in dotted lines in their raised positions, at which time their upper faces are at the level of the surface of the oven. In order to provide for the raising andlowering of the bars, each bar is mounted upon a pair of links 33, 33, and these links are carried upon shafts 34,v 34 extending longitudinally of the leer section. WVhen these'shafts are rotated in a clockwise direc .t ion (Fig. the links are swung to the right, thus lowerlng heir; and. the drop bars "transfer the sheet from the bars to the rollers23, as required by the operation of the apparatus.

Fig. 7 illustrates a modification which differs primarily from the construction of Figs. 1 .to 6 in that the oven 0 is'eliminated and the glass is stowed directly from the receiving table A to the receiving end E of the leer by means of the stowing device D. The means for rolling out the sheet, for stowing it from the table and for operating the rolls in both leer sections are the same as heretofore described in connection with Figs. 1 to 6 and, therefore, require no further explanation, similar reference numerals having been applied throughout. The means for raising and lowering the drop bars 32 is also the same as in the first form of construction except as to the mechanism for rotating the shafts 34. In this construction of Fig. 7, the shafts are provided at their ends with crank discs 38 and such crank discs are connected to the rod 39 which has its otherend connected to a crank 40, such crank being driven from the motor 41 through theintermediary of suitable reduction gearing in thecasing 42.

WhatIIclaim is: r v 1. Apparatus for making sheet glass comprising a receiving leerv section provided with a set of rollers whose members are in terspersed with the members of a set of bars, one :of which sets is mounted for vertical movement so that in one position the tops of the rollers lie above the upper faces of the bars and in another position the tops of the rollers lie below theupper faces of the bars, a main roller leer section n alignment with said receiving section, means; for driving the rollers of the two leer sections at the. same speed, means for rolling out a sheet of glass and depositing it alongside tical movement so that in one position the tops of the rollers lie above the upper faces of the bars and in another position the tops of the rollers lie below the upper faces of the bars, means for raising and lowering the movable set, a main roller leer section in alignment with said receiving section, means for driving the rollers of thetwo sections at the same rate of speed, a fiat receiving surface alongside said receiving leer section at the level of said bars, means for rolling out a sheet and depositing it upon said receiving surface, and means for shoving the sheet laterally from said surface onto the set of bars in the receiving leer section.

3. Apparatus for making sheet glass, comprising a receiving leer section provided with rollers interspersed with lifting bars mounted for vertical movement so that in one position their upper faces lie above the rollers and in another position such faces lie below the tops of the rollers, a main roller leer section in alignment with said receiving section, means for driving the rollers of both sections at the same peripheral speed, means for rolling out a sheet of glass and depositing it alongside said receiving leer section, means for stowing the sheet laterally upon said bars with such bars in their raised positions, and means for lowering the bars to transfer the sheet to said rollers.

4c. Apparatus for making sheet glass, comprising a receiving leer section provided with rollers interspersed with lifting bars mounted for vertical movement so that in one position their upper faces lie above the rollers and in another position such faces lie below the tops of the rollers, means for raising and lowering said bars, a main roller leer section in alignment with said receiving section, means for driving the rollers of said sections at the same peripheral speed, a flat receiving surface alongside said receiving leer section at the level of said bars when they are in raised position, means for rolling out a sheet and depositing it upon said receiving surface, and means for shoving the sheet laterally from said surface into said receiving leer section onto said bars.

5. Apparatus for making sheet glass, comprising a receiving leer section provided with rollers interspersed with lifting bars mounted for vertical movement so that in one position their upper faces lie above the rollers and in another position such faces lie below the tops of the rollers, means for raising and lowering said bars, a main roller leer section in alignment with said receiving section, means for driving the rollers of said sections at the same peripheral speed, an oven alongside said receiving leer section having its bottom at the level of said bars when they are in raised position, a sheet receiving table along one side of the oven with its surface at the level of said floor, means for forming a glass sheet and deposit= ing it on the table, and stowing means movable laterally across the table and oven for WILLIAM OWEN. 

